Cyclists prepare to take part in the World Naked Bike Ride in London in June. Photograph: Leon Neal/AFP/Getty Images

Cycling in this country is not exactly mainstream, but it does seem to be on its way to achieving that status.

Commuting by bike has seen a huge increase in the last 10 years, and recreational and competitive cycling has also grown significantly. Growth leads to diversity and cycling has plenty of that. So what's mainstream and what's not these days?

Let's get one thing straight. Fixed gear bikes, fixies, whatever you want to call them may be in the minority of bikes but they are just too visible, especially in big cities, to be on the fringe.

Trendy and fashionable maybe, but no longer on the edge of what's considered normal. The same goes for singlespeeds, which are further disadvantaged in the fringe stakes by being rather practical.

Sticking with the fixed gear theme, how about roller racing? This was quite popular in the UK 60 years ago, but died out until it was revived by Rollapaluza in the last decade.

Two (or more) riders race each other on stationary sets of rollers hooked up to a central timer. The rider who covers a set 'distance' first wins.

It's fast, adrenaline-fuelled, legal, suitable for indoor and outdoor spaces and quite popular in a fringe sort of way. Just ask Sir Chris Hoy, Vicky Pendleton, Laurence Dallaglio and James Cracknell, who've all had a go at roller racing.

On that note we should mention bike jousting. You can probably work the mechanics of this out for yourselves, but to give it more of an edge 'tall bikes' are commonly used. These are usually two bike frames welded to create the extra height.

Bike jousting is fringe sport, and will probably stay that way as it doesn't seem to be greater than the sum of its parts.

Artistic cycling is a sport recognised by the International Cycling Union, the world governing body for cycling. Think figure skating and rhythmic gymnastics, but on bikes.

Competitors get five minutes to wow the judges with their tricks and are awarded points depending on how good they are. The sport is popular in German speaking countries and to a lesser extent Japan, but nowhere else. That puts it on the obscure list in our book.

Moving away from sport, the bicycle is also used as a tool to protest against less environmentally friendly forms of transport.

Critical mass rides, where a large gathering of cyclists ride through city streets, usually ignoring traffic signals, are not technically protests, but they are a good way of making people aware of bikes.

Now, take that to the extreme (remove clothes) and you get the World Naked Bike Ride, of which there are dozens every year around the globe. It's the ultimate way of demonstrating how vulnerable cyclists are to motor traffic, although its participatory appeal is always going to be limited by self-modesty.

If you're a cyclist and none of these fringes appeal to you, then don't worry. It shows that cycling is big enough to support these branches, however off-beat, and we can only wonder what other two-wheeled strangeness is out there. Spotted any? Feel free to comment below.